So another Chad Reed win, and another celebration of the stubborn man, the one who refuses to give in. This is a reminder that although motocross is the ultimate mix of man and machine—athletics and motorsport—the final ingredient to success isn’t engineering or biology; it’s a mental game.
In his prime years, Chad Reed just had the talent. Yeah, there were two guys who were going faster at times, but Reed could roll from the bed straight to the podium, no matter what else happened, every weekend. In these latter years, he’s still fast, but several young kids can match or exceed him, so his wins come through cunning, craft, and guile. He’s the big game pitcher who no longer throws 100 mph, but throws the perfect pitch when he needs it most, getting out of a jam and frustrating his competitors. His every lap might not be the fastest, but when a lap counts, you can count on him.
We know Ryan Dungey never tires and never wavers down the stretch. Reed’s Atlanta lead was dwindling, and the lap times said it would be a wheel-to-wheel fight down the stretch. You knew Reed would make it nearly impossible for Dunge to pass him, but he found an even craftier way to fend him off. He upped the pace! Chad was killing the whoops, and with three to go he got perhaps his best run of the night, literally leaping over a bunch of them, executing perfectly when he needed it most. Dungey couldn’t get any closer.
His latest victories have been like this. His Anaheim doubles last year were revelations, not just because they signaled yet another return from the dead, but also because they were exciting! He had to pass his nemesis James Stewart to win A2 and deal with pressure from Roczen at A3. When he triumphs it’s part hard work and part ace analysis of bike setup. But mental execution is the tie that binds all that to the podium, and it’s the part of the sport he can’t put down. The surly bastard just can’t stop! These hard-fought wins would have been much easier at age 25, but the fighting is what he enjoys the most. So when age or talk or outside influences (or last week’s results) indicate this could be over, it only hardens his resolve. Only the toughest SOBs can do that.
This weekend ushers in Ryan Villopoto’s return to racing, not as Monster Energy Supercross Champion, but in the FIM World Motocross Championship. Villopoto never buys into or creates much hype, but the world around him is buzzing. We all want to know what will happen during this GP quest, because no one really knows. I’ve heard probably a hundred predictions and projections, but an ill-informed fan that’s never even heard of Antonio Cairolli and mega industry insiders have something in common: they’re just guessing! These are uncharted waters. In these parameters, Villopoto has basically never raced any of these guys, and they’ve never raced him. Conjecture? Yeah, we have that. Actual facts? Who the hell knows, man?
Villopoto’s move to the GPs means so much more to so many more people than just RV himself. You’ve got fans who will use this one season to hang against thirty-some years of “us versus them.” Then there are the real ramifications for companies on both sides. There is so much on the line here. If Ryan Dungey wins this supercross championship, it will be awesome for him and his team. But, win or lose, Villopoto’s season is going to be a measuring stick that will be referenced on both sides of the pond for decades. With that comes so much pressure.
You know what, though? I haven’t spoken to Ryan Villopoto in months, but I can guarandamntee you he doesn’t care about any of that. Villopoto is callused to it. It’s a great shame that the rugged side of his personality has never leaked out. Behind the scenes he’s a trash talker, a rabble-rouser, funny, and cocky. He enjoys the banter so much that it’s impossible to tell how much is real and how much is just for fun. We all know RV is more competitive than he lets on in interviews—it seems like he doesn’t even care about racing, but that’s impossible because he works too hard at it. When the cameras are off, the competitiveness starts to come out. Unfortunately, he’s still not old enough or media savvy enough to figure out how to deliver it in the right doses. Hey, Reed is a media darling now, making every quote colorful yet never painting himself with the wrong brush. These are the things athletes figure out in their thirties. Villopoto’s going to be living in the wilderness by then.
But it’s there. RV is a surly bastard of the highest order, and he’s no doubt rubbing his hands together over this challenge. The most important part is his effort, and on Saturday Aldon Baker told me he had just spoken with Ryan, and he thinks RV’s heart is in it. We’ve seen before that is all that matters.
Yeah, there’s a lot of other stuff that will go into this. He’ll be adjusting to new tracks, climates, food, teams, fans, competition, and all that pressure. But RV has always kept his racing simple, and has never been one to cave in to superfluous stuff like that. Fans will be throwing bombs on the Internet for the next eight months; he will hear none of it and care even less. He’s not doing this to “conquer the world” or “show them” or add some sweet stat to the record book. He’s just doing it, and as long as he believes in himself, he expects to win and usually does.
It will serve him well. The gravity of this process and the meaning of the outcome could crumble most men. He’s said this is his last year, win or lose, so he’s taking tremendous risk knowing he could end up sucking or losing, and never have a chance to avenge. That should only ramp the pressure higher, but he doesn’t care, because he’s a surly bastard that doesn’t do things based on what others think. The mental game? That’s just a game. This is the way Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed live their real lives. Nothing from the outside is going to get inside of it.